Stars find ‘Unknown’ preem

Thriller bows in Westwood Village

Contrasting with the afterglow of the Feb. 16 preem of Warner/Dark Castle’s “Unknown” at the Village, veteran producer Leonard Goldberg recalled last winter’s icy shoot with stars Liam Neeson and January Jones.

“It looks cold because it was cold — the coldest winter in Berlin in 27 years,” he mused during the afterparty at the Regency. “The rivers froze over. It’s a great look for the film, but I’ve never been that cold.”

Paris is the setting in the novel “Out of My Head,” by Didier van Cauwelaert, but screenwriters Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell decided half a dozen years ago to change the locale to one in Central Europe.

“People’s perceptions are that Paris is a friendly, romantic place,” Cornwell noted. “But we needed a sense of menace for the story to work, like Prague or Budapest. Berlin made the most sense.”

Director Jaume Collet-Serra allowed on the red carpet that shooting the multiple action sequences — including several complicated car chases — represented the biggest challenge, given that the shoot was only 46 days. “We didn’t have a lot of time, especially since most of it is shot outside,” he added.

Collet-Serra wasn’t able to stick around for the screening, as he was on the hook to fly out for the German premiere — in Berlin, of course.